


The Lion and the Wolf

by Aleanbh, The Calling Comes to All (Aleanbh)



Series: Ellana Lavellan [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Lyrium Withdrawal, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2015-03-14
Packaged: 2018-02-28 11:36:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2731007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleanbh/pseuds/Aleanbh, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleanbh/pseuds/The%20Calling%20Comes%20to%20All
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Commander Cullen finds the Inquisitor using unfamiliar magic.  What Ellana Lavellan does when she can't sleep is much more interesting than his midnight wanderings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Into the Woods

It was pure chance the night Cullen caught Ellana Lavellan sneaking off into the forests around Skyhold. 

            After a particularly grueling day of trying to get necessary supply chains set up and repairs scheduled, the incessant _hunger_ for lyrium was less of a soft hum in the back of his mind and more of a hysterical shriek.  Every time he closed his eyes, desperate for some sort of relief, the faces of his slaughtered brothers and sisters flashed before him.  Eventually he abandoned the thought of rest all together, and dressed hastily before making his way to the outer walls.

            He had only been pacing for a few minutes when he heard the gates creak open and caught a flash of golden hair and a lithe silhouette before it started towards the woods.  More curious than concerned, he followed the figure at a distance and quickly realized he was shadowing the Inquisitor.

            The elven woman seemed particularly skittish, stopping every so often and turning to make sure she wasn't being followed.  He kept to the edges of her vision, his cloak and dark breeches lending him the ability to meld against the nearby trees.  Cullen followed the woman for what he guessed was a mile before she stopped near a clearing within the forest.  Ellana glanced around her once again before her posture changed.  Instead of a tense anxiety, she finally relaxed for the first time since the attack on Haven.

            Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and reveled in the patch of moonlight that caressed her skin.  Cullen was so transfixed on how her golden hair turned silver in the luminescence that he didn't immediately notice her undressing.  When his eyes trailed down toward her collarbone in order to follow the silken strands, his breath caught when he saw the curve of her breast.  Horrified, he glanced away quickly.

            Cullen felt her pull from her mana, but the kind of magic she was using tasted foreign.  The fact that he couldn't place it immediately disturbed him enough that he looked back to where Ellana was.  Instead of the slender form of an elf, a golden wolf stood in the clearing with its emerald gaze focused squarely upon him.  The Commander froze when the creature took a step toward him. 

            "I-Inquisitor?" he murmured after a moment.  The wolf's eyes seemed to glitter with familiar amusement and he relaxed.  "You managed to surprise a templar.  I hope you're proud."

            When he reached out to her, Ellana brushed her head against his hand and whined softly.  Grinning like a boy, Cullen scratched behind the wolf's ears and marveled at how soft her fur was.  She tolerated it for a bit before sneezing and prancing just out of his reach.  Her tail drifted lazily behind her while she started to sniff around the clearing and Cullen leaned against a tree, content to just watch her.

            The wolf occasionally wandered outside of his sight, but never for more than a minute or two.  She also trotted over to him periodically, either sitting next to him with her head in his lap or dancing just out of his reach, tongue lolling out in a canine grin.  They enjoyed the quiet solitude of the clearing for quite some time before Cullen yawned.  The wolf next to him did the same and shot him an annoyed glance.

            "I think I'm finally ready for bed," he said, groaning as he stood up.  His back popped and he sighed in relief.  "I...was having trouble getting to sleep."

            Ellana whined softly, padding next to him as he started back the way they came.  Every so often he would reach out and reassure himself that she was really there, and that this wasn't just some strange dream.  When they made it back to Skyhold, Ellana's tail tucked between her legs and her ears flattened against her head.

            "You don't want anyone to see you?" Cullen asked, voice low.  When she looked up at him and gave a soft huff, he grinned.  "It's not far from your quarters.  I can take you and distract anyone we might run into."

            The wolf's ears perked and her tail sprung up, wagging enthusiastically.  Laughing, he rubbed her head and opened the door before bowing.  "After you, my lady."

            Ellana growled halfheartedly before padding into the keep, head held high with her tail straight and proud.  They were fortunate enough not to run into any of the night's watch, and once they made it to the main hall he opened the door to the Inquisitor's quarters.  He cleared his throat awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

            "I..."  Ellana watched him patiently, ears swiveling.  "Thank you for letting me keep you company tonight."  The wolf sniffed the air, and caught sight of the uncontrollable spasm in his hands.  "I'll see you--"

            Before he could finish, Ellana got a hold of the edge of his tunic and started to tug insistently.  Stumbling, he followed the wolf into her quarters and once inside, the wolf butted the door with her head to close it.  The next thing he knew, the wolf was replaced by a very naked elf.

            "Well, now someone knows my little secret," the mage purred, taking a step toward him.  Cullen's mouth went dry.  She grinned, placing a hand on his chest before getting on her tiptoes so she could whisper her next words into his ear, "You can stay here tonight if you'd like."

            "You don't--"

            "Cullen."  Ellana leaned back, frowning.  "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."  Glancing down, she saw his hands tremble once again.  "I could smell the sickness when I changed forms.  It went away when I was close to you.  I can stay that way with you tonight, if it would help."  Her smile was wry, yet sincere.  "As a wolf, nothing more."

            "I..."  He remembered the peace he felt, just running his fingers through her silken fur.  Cullen cleared his throat nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.  "I would like that.  Thank you."

            The change was instant, the lithe elf replaced once more by the golden wolf.  Ellana sneezed, her muzzle wrinkling in annoyance before she turned and hopped up onto the large bed.  The Commander blushed as he removed his tunic and slipped under the covers, Ellana curled up against him.  The wolf grunted while she got comfortable, a pleased rumbling sound coming from her chest when Cullen buried his face in the fur at her neck.

            In no time at all, they both were asleep. For the first time in recent memory, Cullen wasn't woken by screams.


	2. Intruder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen and the Inquisitor are interrupted during their nightly walks.

A few weeks later, Ellana and Cullen once again found themselves in the clearing a mile from Skyhold.  Since the evening she had invited him to stay the night with her, Cullen had gone out of his way to respect her privacy, despite catching her sneaking off the grounds in the middle of the night.  Since the siege upon Adamant, her midnight excursions had become an almost nightly occurrence.

            Unlike the last few days, however, Ellana had stormed out of the keep after heated words with Solas.  Cullen had been able to hear the elf's raised voices from his tower, his lieutenant by the door shifting uncomfortably when the argument eventually dissolved into shouts in elven.  The few words that the Commander was able to make out were ones he'd generally had spat in his direction by an irate Circle Mage.

            They were seated in comfortable silence, the golden wolf resting her head in his lap and content as Cullen scratched idly behind her ears.  Ellana's ears were laid flat against her head and her tail didn't wag, even when he stroked the spot at the base of her neck that usually had her melting against him.  The Commander was about to ask that she return to human form in order to talk about what he'd overheard when the withdrawal cramps seized him.

            Hissing in pain, his fingers must have tightened on the wolf's neck since Ellana's head came up and her eyes were full of concern.  Squeezing his eyes shut tight against the insistent pounding in his head, he muttered an apology before his grip tightened on her again as another spasm wracked through him.  While Cullen was sure he must have been hurting her with his death grip on the scruff around her neck, Ellana didn't move away from him.  Instead, she snuffled his neck before crawling into his lap and tucking her head under his chin.

            Normally, the fits seemed to last for an eternity.  This time was different, however.  Each time a spasm took him, he would grit his teeth against a scream and clutch the wolf as though it were the only thing keeping the lyrium pangs from tearing him asunder.  The wolf whined softly, but it was more in sympathy rather than pain.  When Cullen could bear the pain no longer and a strangled scream wrenched past his lips, Ellana raised her head and howled alongside him. 

            Once the pain began to subside, he leaned heavily against the tree behind him and tried to catch his breath.  When he managed to open his eyes, he was greeted with a relieved bark and a lick to his cheek from the green eyed wolf.  Cullen laughed weakly, running his fingers over the silken fur on her back.

            "Thank you for that," he said after a few moments of silence.  Ellana's tail started to wag and she hopped out of his lap to stretch languidly.  "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

            If she were able, Cullen was sure Ellana would have cocked an eyebrow.  As it was, she could only sneeze and give him a lopsided canine grin, her tail wagging enthusiastically.  The sound of a twig snapping shattered the moment, the wolf's eyes narrowing and the hair at the back of her neck bristling angrily.  Cullen's hand reached for his sword hilt out of habit before realizing he'd left it back at the keep.  Cursing his stupidity, he groped for the dagger he kept hidden in his boot for just such an occasion.

            Ellana had placed herself between him and the unseen threat, a snarl bubbling up from her throat.  Squinting in the direction she was facing, he was unable to see anything past the edge of the tree line.  When the Inquisitor began to slowly back away from whatever it was, Cullen followed suit.  After backing up only a few paces, he was finally able to see what had the Inquisitor so riled up.

            An enormous wolf, easily twice the size of Ellana, stepped out from the trees.  The creature had midnight black fur with blue eyes that shone like diamonds and calmly regarded the two.  It didn't move any closer, but there was something unnervingly familiar about its aura that Cullen couldn't quite place.  When it started to take another step, Ellana lunged at it with an infuriated series of barks that had the intruder backing away warily.  After a tense moment where the two wolves stared one another down, the black wolf gave a slight huff before vanishing into the woods as easily as he'd appeared.

            When Cullen glanced over to Ellana, he realized as his face heated in embarrassment, that she had changed back to her normal form.  Her skin was flushed, her golden hair falling in silken waves to rest just above her tailbone.  Coughing, he averted his eyes and Ellana stood sentry for a few moments longer before turning to him.

            "You should head back to Skyhold," she said, her voice soft.  Cullen looked up, resolutely focused on her face.  Her eyes drifted to his hands, which were still trembling from his earlier fit.  "Will you be alright tonight?"

            "I believe so, yes," he responded, tucking the dagger back into his boot.  He looked over to where the black wolf had vanished.  "What in the world was that thing?"

            Ellana's lip curled in derision.  "Someone who had no business being here."

            "That...doesn't answer my question."

            The elf bit her lip, obviously debating on what to tell him.  "It was Solas.  He...doesn't approve of my spending time with one such as yourself."

            "A human?"  Cullen had long suspected the mysterious mage of being an elven supremacist, but hearing it was quite another.

            "A former member of the Order of Templars."

            "Ah."

            Ellana could see the scar above the Commander's lip twitch and she stepped forward, placing a hand on his chest just as she had the first night they had met like this.  When he refused to meet her eyes, she sighed and gently cupped his cheek to force him to meet her gaze. 

            "He's wrong," she said fiercely.  "And he has no right to tell me with whom I can spend time with.  He treats me as if I'm some kind of stubborn child who doesn't know what she wants."  Ellana smiled then, stealing Cullen's breath away.  "I care about you, Cullen.  You're a good man, a good _templar_ , and I judge those I work with by the merits of their actions.  Not prejudices."

            "I..."  He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

            "I've said too much," Ellana said after a moment.  "At any rate, we should get back to Skyhold before it gets much later."  She stepped away from him, and Cullen mourned the loss of the feeling of her palm against his face.  Ellana glanced over her shoulder, a mischievous grin on her face.  "Would you be up for a race?  Sweat the lingering lyrium cravings out?"

            Cullen laughed.  "I see my late night training didn't go unnoticed after all." 

            "Of course not," she replied easily.  "You never take your shirt off during the day.  The only time I get even a peek is when you think no one's watching."

            With that, she changed into the golden wolf and took off into the forest leaving him scrambling after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With finals done, I figured now is the time to write what I want before the next semester starts. Hope you all enjoy, and thanks for the kudos and comments!! <3


	3. A Friendly Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorian and Cullen discuss the Inquisitor.

After the surreal encounter in the woods, Cullen took notice that Ellana seldom brought Solas along whenever she would set out upon Inquisition business. She would still, on the rare occasion, take him along in order to observe the elven wards that were scattered about Thedas, but otherwise Solas could be found in either his study or upstairs perusing the library alongside Dorian.

"Quite an intense fellow," Dorian said nonchalantly during their weekly chess bout. He rested his chin in his hand and surveyed the board. "I pride myself upon my ability to read people rather well, since to do aught else spelled an early death in Tevinter." He reached out, brushing his fingertips over a rook before receding and twisting his mustache in contemplation. "That fellow, however, is still as much an enigma to me now as he was the day I met him, what? Six months ago?" He finally settled on moving his rook, capturing one of the Commander's knights. "Check."

Cullen leaned back, hands upon his knees. "I know the feeling all too well." He noticed the altus' attempt at leaving an obvious opening to which the Commander ignored. His eyes were drawn easily to the trap the mage had laid out and scoffed. "Now I know something is bothering you. You've all but given me this game."

"I beg your pardon?" Dorian said, eyes narrowing. He glanced down at the board, blanching when Cullen moved his queen into checkmate and leaned back with a smirk. Dorian glowered at him. " _Fasta_   _vaas_."

"So what's on your mind, truly?" Cullen started to reset the board.

"Well, I'm sure you noticed the...ah, tension between the two of them," Dorian said, resetting his own side of the board. "At least until after that whole debacle in Haven." He grinned impishly. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Many thanks," Cullen said completely deadpan. Dorian laughed and the Commander continued. "As for their interactions, to be quite honest I had a litany of other concerns and wasn't aware they'd had a falling out until I overheard a shouting match."

Dorian winced. "Ah, yes that evening." With the board back in order, he leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers over his lap. "It seems Solas was perturbed over somewhat he had witnessed out in the woods one evening just after we had arrived." His eyes sharpened and he gave the former templar a predatory smirk. "Something about a golden wolf with emerald eyes and a particular Commander wandering about in the wilderness."

Cullen's face flushed and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I...didn't think anyone had seen that."

"Oh, no one else was about," Dorian said easily. Tilting his head, he regarded the former templar with a new sense of respect. "Just little old me, browsing about the library well past my bedtime. More often than not they ignore my presence entirely." He grinned. "The things I overhear in this place, you wouldn't believe."

Cullen smirked. "I'm sure I've heard worse around the barracks."

"Probably." Dorian's grin faded, replaced by a distant look that told Cullen he was deep in thought. After a few moments of companionable silence, his eyes sharpened and skewered the Commander. "Your intentions toward her. What are they?"

The question caught Cullen off guard, and for a moment the only thing he could do was stare at the man in bewilderment. When Dorian crossed his arms and leaned back, looking as though he were getting ready to unleash verbal hell upon him, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously while he thought of what to say.

"I'll not hurt her, if that's what you fear." He met the altus' gaze readily, his hands clasped before him to hide their slight tremble. A headache was beginning to pulse just behind his eyelids and it took every ounce of self control not to grimace. "I'm not even certain if she feels anything more than friendship--what's _that_  look for?"

"Surely, you must be joking?" Dorian said, an eyebrow cocked. When Cullen continued to stare at him in confusion, the altus barked in laughter. "By the Maker, you're completely clueless aren't you?" He leaned back, laughter erupting from him in bursts until he had tears streaming down his cheeks. "Great Commander of the Inquistion's forces, able to spot maleficar with such ease, yet oblivious to our very own Inquisitor's feelings!"

"I'm glad you find this so amusing," Cullen replied, his scar twisting as he scowled at the mage.

"I'm not laughing at your expense Commander, truly." Dorian managed to get himself under control, wiping away the tears. "This just explains so much of what I've overheard of late."

"Oh?"

"I never pegged Solas as the jealous type," Dorian said, standing and beginning to pace. "While my ancient elven is rather rusty, and by rusty I mean nonexistant, what I did manage to make out was quite juicy indeed." The altus gave a dramatic pause, only continuing when Cullen looked about ready to lunge at him from across the board. "Our darling Inquistor took it...amiss, to say the least, when Solas said somewhat about her fraternizations with you and something about being a dirty shem I imagine."

"Hardly surprising."

"Indeed." Dorian paused behind his chair, fingers idly twisting his facial hair. "From what I gathered, there had been some sort of affection between them in the Fade, yet nothing more." He glanced over at the Commander and waggled his eyebrows, making Cullen snort. "It seems that Solas hasn't been exactly...warm to her advances, and thus she decided to cast her line to a fish more likely to bite."

"Wonderful metaphor," the Commander said.

"I thought so." Dorian tilted his head, glancing up toward Leiliana's tower. "At any rate, if you think the Inquisitor considers you a mere friend, you're deluding yourself."

Before Cullen could formulate a response, the altus made a polite excuse before making his way back to the tower and the library within. The idea that Lady Lavellan could feel something besides professional courtesy was almost more than he could hope. _Maker's breath...what have I gotten myself into?_


	4. On the Battlements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellana and the Commander finally talk about feelings.

It took Ellana the better part of a morning to work up the nerve to even approach the Commander.  The elf found herself shifting her hair about in a vain attempt to hide the tips of her ears and a good portion of her _vallaslin_.  She was uncomfortably aware of just how exotic she could seem to Fereldan and Orlesian alike, yet the marks upon her face seemed to grant her a strange sort of respect among the _shem_.  She also knew just how much _smaller_ her people were compared to Cullen's.  The looking glass reflected the opposite of what most _shem_ found pleasing: small breasts settled upon a slim torso that barely flared into narrow hips.

  
_And yet you've had absolutely no problems prancing about naked around him,_ she chided herself.   _This is ridiculous_.

  
Ellana strode into the Commander's tower with her back straight and her head held high.  Cullen was behind his desk, a report in hand as he paced in front of the window.  The afternoon sun filtered in, highlighting his golden curls and the deep chocolates of his cloak in a way that made the elf falter slightly.  The lieutenant that stood in the corner quietly excused herself as the Inquisitor stared at Cullen's striking figure.When the door clicked shut behind her, Ellana cleared her throat as she approached.  Cullen's head snapped up, eyes narrowed in irritation before lighting up when he realized it was her and not another messenger.  The knot of nerves that had bunched in her stomach eased ever so slightly and she smiled.

  
"Do you have a moment to talk?" she said, fingers absently trailing over the myriad piles of papers on his desk.  "Alone?"

  
"Alone?" he echoed before catching himself.  "I mean, of course."

  
They were silent as they made their way to the battlements that overlooked the courtyard and had the best view of the mountain range.  Their fingers would occasionally brush together as they walked, and she could sense the tension in him as easily as she could as a wolf.  The knot of nerves in her stomach returned ten fold, terrified of asking too much of him too fast.  Once they had reached the battlements, Ellana moved away from Cullen and gazed at the mountains in the distance in an effort to collect her thoughts.  

  
_He used to be a templar_ , the now familiar anxiety whispered, taking on Solas' voice. _When he looks at you, he sees a demon. He doesn't understand what it's like to run under the moonlight with the Fade flowing through your fur.  The Fade inspires only fear in his kind, no one can understand you like_ I-

  
"It's a nice day," Cullen said softly after a minute or two had passed in silence.

  
Ellana was startled out of her thoughts, turning to stare at him.  "What?"

  
"It's..." The Commander trailed off, his hands flitting to the hilt of his sword before settling to clasp behind his back.  "There was something you wished to discuss?"

  
"Cullen, I care for you and..." Ellana sighed in frustration, raking a hand through her hair.  

  
"What's wrong?" Cullen asked.

  
Taking a deep breath and straightening her back, Ellana met his eyes.  "You left the templars, but do you trust mages?  Could you think of me as anything more?"

  
For a moment, Cullen just stared at her before the meaning of her words finally clicked.  "I could," he said quickly, for fear of making her more nervous than she already was.  Part of him still couldn't believe that the conversation was happening. "I-I mean, I do...think of you."  He cleared his throat, feeling foolish.  "And what I might say in this sort of situation."

  
Emboldened, she took another step foward.  "What's stopping you?"

  
"You're the Inquisitor," he said, his hands moving to grip his sword hilt.  His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest.  "We're at war, and you..." Cullen laughed softly, shaking his head. "I didn't think it was possible."

  
Ellana reached out and took one of his hands, feeling his fingers twitching slightly before the tension drained out of him.  "And yet I'm still here."

  
"So you are," he replied, all traces of nerves gone.  Her touch seemed to energize him, his fingers interlocking with hers as he closed the distance between them. Leaning down, his lips were mere inches from hers but he had to be sure.  "It seems too much to ask, but I want to--"

  
A door slamming open nearby straightened Cullen's back instantly, his eyes snapping toward the interruption.  One of the newer messengers was striding towards them, a file in hand and Cullen's blood nearly boiled.  Ellana's hand was still snugly within his and she gave him a gentle squeeze, calming him before the messenger deigned to glance at the Commander. 

  
"Commander," the man began, stopping in front of Cullen.  Because of her stature, the Inquisitor was all but hidden behind him.  "You wanted a copy of Sister Leiliana's report."

  
"What?!" Cullen snarled, releasing Ellana and taking a step towards the man.

  
The messenger looked about ready to turn tail and flee as the Commander towered over him.  "Sister Leiliana's report," he said meekly.  "You wanted it delivered 'without delay'."  With the Commander out of the way, the man glanced over and saw the Inquisitor looking as though she wanted nothing more than to disappear into the floor.  Realization struck finally and he slowly started back the way he had come.  "Or...to your office.  Right."

  
Ellana bit her lip, shifting nervously as she watched the door close behind the messenger.  "If you need to--"

  
Cullen turned on her in an instant, his hands moving to cup the sides of her face as his lips met hers.  Her soft sound of surprise melded into a moan and she gripped the fabric of his cloak tightly.  One of his hands drifted to her hip, pulling her against him roughly as he deepened the kiss.  When they finally parted, Cullen's face was flushed and he ran his thumb over her swollen lower lip while he caught his breath.

  
"I-I'm sorry," he murmured. "That was, um...really nice."

  
Ellana grinned up at him even as she ran her fingers up and down the length of his back.  "That was what I wanted."

  
"Oh."  The look on Cullen's face made her laugh and he smiled in turn.  "Good."

  
Their lips met again, this time infinitely gentler.  The raw desperation that had consumed him moments ago was replaced by tenderness, one of his hands coming to cup the back of her neck as the other wrapped around her waist.  Her lips opened when his tongue brushed along her lower lip, asking for permission and a soft whimper escaped her throat.  When they parted this time, the Commander took a step back and was the image of consummate professionalism aside from the mischevious glint in his eyes.

  
"I should probably see to Leiliana's report," Cullen said with a sigh.  "As much as I would like to stay."

  
"Meet me tonight?" Ellana asked earnestly. "Our usual place, of course."

  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."  Cullen turned and started back towards his office, an easy smile on his face for the first time in what felt like years.

  
"It's a date then?" Ellana called out after him.

  
If she had been in wolf form, her tail would have been wagging.  The thought made Cullen laugh.  "As you say, Lady Inquisitor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's been forever since the last update. School's been taking it's toll, but it's also given me time to figure out exactly where this fic is going. Hope you enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Just a plot bunny I had while trying to get to sleep one night.


End file.
